Key Connection

Pioneer Crossing eases growing pains in Central Utah

Western Utah County in north central Utah has seen big growth during the past 10 years. An area that was once open range and farmland now boasts two towns—Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs—with populations of approximately 20,000.

The bridge spans will be moved into place with self- propelled modular transports. These transport vehicles have several dozen computer-controlled wheels that are individually controlled for speed and leveling. A worker checks for stress as the span is moved into place.

That growth has brought with it traffic congestion. Scott Thompson, public involvement manager for Utah Dept. of Transportation’s Region 3, says the new communities have put stress on the east-west corridor connections to Interstate 15.

A new roadway, the $180-million Pioneer Crossing project in American Fork, will link the two new communities to I-15 with Salt Lake City to the north and Orem and Provo to the south. As part of UDOT’s Access Utah County project, Pioneer Crossing will improve east-west travel in Saratoga Springs, Lehi and American Fork, as well as the flow of traffic at the I-15 interchange.

“This new corridor will provide more mobility for all those people on the west side who want to get to the freeway from these communities that did not exist 10 years ago,” Thompson says.

When completed, it will also become only the second diverging-diamond interchange in the U.S., with a DDI at I-15 and American Fork’s Main Street. The DDI is a freeway interchange in which lanes and signals are streamlined for increased safety and better traffic flow. DDIs use existing roadway without requiring new land for additional bridge structures, making it a money-saver as well, Thompson says.

Pioneer Crossing also includes six miles of new arterial connections between the two growing communities and a mile of reconstruction of I-15, south of Salt Lake City.

The project is a joint venture led by Kiewit/Clyde (Kiewit Western Co. and W.W. Clyde & Co.) with Parsons Corp. as design manager and lead designer.

The new roadway, which is ahead of schedule, has an anticipated completion of this August.

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